Join us as we watch a set of prerecorded TED Talks exploring the intersection of economy and environment. Afterwards, Maggie Riad from Go Green Northbrook will lead a discussion of the ideas presented.

After the discussion, a Tai Chi exercise was led by Master Instructor Deanna Lee from Body & Brain Northbrook

Recap:

Physician Rishi Manchanda’s talk about “upstreaming” resonated the most with the group. Sana, a Pre-Med graduate and volunteer discussion leader, told us that indeed, medical students are being taught to take a more holistic approach – even the MCAT entrance exam has changed to add sections on Sociology and Psychology. The notion of the “family doctor” who knows his patients well is becoming more common.

Although we found Talithia Williams’ discussion on keeping track of your body’s data interesting, most thought it would be difficult and could be depressing to keep daily stats on things such as weight and temperature. However, we all realized that devices such as the Fitbit are evidence that people like to keep some statistics about themselves, especially as motivators.

Emily Balcetis’ talk about exercise resonated with most everyone. There are definitely barriers to exercise and one could be perception. Almost all of us agreed that movement and doing simple things like walking outside are vital to well-being. Some motivators we came up with were: feeling better, making it a habit, and taking classes and getting encouragement by others. Looking at our own health doesn’t require a medical degree.

After the discussion and a brief break, Deanna Lee led us in a Tai Chi exercise. She explained how we can control our own body temperature and do things to help with pain and energy. We all found it both stimulating and relaxing at the same time and felt great!

Although the speakers and ideas we saw were varied, we enjoyed the optimism presented throughout the TED and TEDx talks shown. The idea of children and teens having the ability to utilize the internet to create change, like in McKenna Pope’s presentation, was an interesting new development to think about. Almost everyone in the room could remember a time when the technology we have today wasn’t available.

We enjoyed the creativity that went into the design of Takaharu Tezuka’s kindergarten, although one audience member noted that Japan is far more pressed for space than the United States, which may account for ability to have brainstormed such a clever solution. Another attendee mentioned having gone to school in India as a child, and his classes were so large they always sat outdoors and utilized nature for learning. We liked how Tezuka fondly called kindergarten-age children “little monkeys”, which seemed an apt description for their desire to play, explore, and learn from their environment and each other. We also thought by giving kids more freedom, they would be able to harness their creativity like Sir Ken Robinson mentioned in his popular talk “Are Schools Killing Creativity?”

Many of us had a tough time thinking of how we might do things differently had we seen these talks as adolescents, but we liked the advice sprinkled through the talks that transcended age. Tavi Gevinson’s assertions that feminism is an ongoing discussion (not a rulebook), and the importance of being comfortable enough to say you are still figuring things out definitely felt like good messages for everyone. We also enjoyed Adora Svitak’s message about the importance of reciprocal learning between adults and children. (She also made most of us reconsider the use of the term childish). We also acknowledged how as adults, we become increasingly set in our patterns and ways of thinking, unlike children who often think outside-the-box naturally. One audience member suggested it is worthwhile to try and deviate from patterns and do different things in order to promote fluid, creative thinking as adults.

Simon Sinek’s talk was certainly the center of the discussion; participants really resonated with his idea that the recipe for success requires businesses to lead with why they do what they do, rather than what it is that they do. Today’s innovative companies—Tesla, Apple, Amazon, and Google were mentioned in the discussion—have succeeded because they were able to get the general public to buy into their vision.

Another participant mentioned that while getting people to buy into the “why” definitely generates initial interest, companies whose actions don’t match up with their mission and vision will likely end up with less success and a higher employee turnover. While another participant suggested that losing employees isn’t always the worst thing to happen, since it can open the door for like-minded people, he did agree that some loss would be had if the “why” and the execution of the mission didn’t match up.

Sinek’s talk cited that traditional models for success include working with the right people, and in the discussion, this idea was brought up yet again. Companies like Google, for example, have a very freeform and nontraditional feel; it requires a person of a similar mindset to generate success. Companies like Amazon that are considered equally innovative, on the other hand, run their operations in a very different manner; this again goes back to the idea that productive companies do have to find people who work within their system in order to find success.

Discussion of Sinek’s talk covered more than just innovative businesses, however. Discussion participants connected the idea that people buy into the “why” of what you do with the success of presidential hopefuls Donald Trump and Bernie Sanders, citing that their momentum has been generated by people supporting their ideas of changing the game of politics and the way our government runs. Participants thought it was interesting that two people on opposite sides of the political spectrum would draw support for the same reason.

Ariana Huffington’s talk, which named getting more sleep as the key to success, was another popular topic at the discussion. While a number of participants mentioned that successful, go-getter type people seemed to function exceptionally well on less sleep than the average person requires, the group seemed to agree that what mattered was not so much the number of hours, but getting the amount of sleep you actually need. One patron connected Huffington’s talk to Sinek by suggesting that, when he is lacking sleep, he often neglects to put the “why” into his actions, and thus finds less success in what he does.

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Learning just how much food goes to waste (someone added the image of the bread crusts going into huge dumpster…if those were slices from the middle of the loaf “no one would stand for it”)

The amount of sugar in the milk schools serve to children

An audience member wondered about pesticides and sprays used on produce in grocery stores (someone later mentioned a farmer’s market is a great place to go when it is available because they will be able to give you direct answers on these concerns)

How the state of school cafeteria food reminded someone of hospital cafeteria food…we need better options for everyone

What are some of your takeaways:

Mark Bittman’s linear history lesson of the Western diet was relatable for many audience members, and definitely put the state of food into perspective

When you purchase certain foods you are voting for them…the way you spend money in and of itself is making a stand

We should have dietitians in schools deciding the menus…not accountants like Jamie Oliver’s talk suggests

Even the term organic can be misleading(e.g. in regard to salmon farming), but someone mentioned organic produce (when affordable) is a good start to buying conscientiously

Fortified foods are often markets as healthy but aren’t really

Food that is healthy for us is often healthy for the planet

Labeling is extremely important…if you

don’t understand it, don’t buy it

Shop around the perimeter of the store

When you buy things in bulk you can reduce packaging waste

Anything you learned tonight you will put into practice?

Eat less meat

Cook more

Bake homemade bread

Use reusable bags when shopping

Plan meals effectively…don’t wait till the last minute which is what gets everybody sometimes

It is possible to make healthy food fast

Read more about these issues - keep learning when it comes to food, cooking, and health

Although Amy Cuddy mentions texting briefly, a few audience members were interested in further examining how texting and emails work as viable methods of communication without body language. Another mentioned that though cortisol is often thought of as a negative, there are positive benefits to it in stressful situations.

Many audience members enjoyed Achor’s humor and noted that it was an effective way to get people to pay attention to his message. One woman shared a story of how two of her children have taken life paths she didn’t expect or necessarily want for them. One son after graduating college and working a bit decided to become a dog walker which shocked her, but Achor’s message of reframing our perspective made her think about the fact dog walking seemed to make her son happy so she could be happy for him.

A few audience members seemed particularly taken by David Brooks’ message. Many commented that thought they had heard him speak on talk shows or read his newspaper columns, that his talk showed an additional depth of thought and character. One man mentioned his talk applies to everyone because “the final form of love is forgiveness.” Someone noted that although Cuddy’s video was more practical and instant, Brooks’ had a depth to ponder further upon.

"Did anyone make goals or resolutions for the New Year, and if so did these TED Talks make you think about them any differently?"

A few people said the talks made them reflect on their own goals. One person started to think more about how some days she walks into a room in a happy, outgoing mood…yet other times she feels reserved, and how she could try and learn what makes her happy on the days she is feeling great. A few mentioned they would start listing three gratitudes each day as Shawn Achor’s talk suggested.

Jenni Chang and Lisa Dazols, “This is what LGBT Life is like Around the World”

One audience member who enjoyed this video best said it was really brave of the speakers to put their feelings out there and enjoyed seeing the continuum of people they interviewed. Someone else mentioned that she had the experience of living in Japan as an LGBT American, and how a coworker there confided to her she was also LGBT but felt she must keep it a secret because of societal norms. As this audience member noted, there are LGBT people everywhere, but only from local people being brave enough to come out and stand for equality can progress be made. One audience member noted that she couldn’t fully embrace the first video because does not believe in same sex marriage. Another noted that is good for us to talk about these things, because celebrating diversity means acknowledging we are different but coming from a place of love even if we disagree.

Investment Expert Mellody Hobson, “Color Blind or Color Brave?”

An audience member who liked this video best said he as an immigrant finds it hard to see himself on a corporate board, so he responded to Hobson’s message about the importance of seeing representation in different careers and facets of life. Another audience member felt Hobson might have been generalizing a larger issue a bit, but another responded that the issue seems to be representation in business doesn’t even come close to what America looks like regarding both gender and racial diversity. Someone mentioned that women may not always want to be on corporate boards because they often balance child-rearing with careers, and another person agreed and added that sometimes women are judged no matter what – if they are passionate about advancing their career or if they are stay-at-home mothers – and that is something we can try and be better about. Another noted that different cultures may shape their children in different ways, but passion, success, and positive role models can help encourage people to feel capable they can follow their dreams and ensure we aren’t robbing the next generation as Hobson notes.

Someone noted immediately she was impressed by Young’s view that she’s just ordinary…it really helps us examine why we celebrate people and how we should try to be inspired for the right reasons. Someone else mentioned a coworker who is quadriplegic, and that he does inspire her for many reasons beyond being disabled and simply for being a great person. Another person said
many of us have disabilities, sometimes invisible ones, but that there is value and dignity in each individual life.

One audience member said she enjoyed all three talks because even fifty years ago these talks and our conversation about them wouldn’t have happened. Another mentioned that it can be easy to discriminate against someone when they are “the other”, but much harder once you know someone personally who is LGBT or someone from a different racial background then yourself. We talked about what diversity is, and how often older people as a group are not a part of the conversation though they are a large, diverse group. Someone shared a story about her daughter being teased in school for her appearance since she was from a different ethnic background than the other children, but because bias is learned we can help people unlearn it by sticking up for ourselves and educating each other. Finally someone stated diversity isn’t just good, but it
actually makes us better.

Most of the audience enjoyed Barry Schwartz’s talk on the negative side effects to having too many choices, although some expressed reservations. One many said he would much rather have endless choices than have no choices or limited ones. Another pointed out that without a plethora of choice, we wouldn’t have the culture we have today. But his points about lowering expectations in certain instances, the stress of going to the grocery store, and our whole lives being spent making choices resonated.

Phil Hansen’s visually-stimulating talk and positive message seemed to be the most popular video of the evening. We liked his creativity, and how his story involved getting stuck in a dark place but finding a way to move beyond limitations and achieve success (or be okay with failure). After all, we all have limitations, but if we can find a way to embrace them we can better love and understand ourselves.

Someone said Ruth Chang’s talk helped her realize she is a drifter, and that she had never consciously looked for choices. Another called her talk empowering, because it gives us the agency to make choices and not agonize over them later. Still another participant said it was interesting that Chang didn’t mention consulting with people you admire to help you make decisions and gain perspective. We enjoyed that her talk reframed how we think of hard choices, instead of the “good choice”, we follow the one that indicates what we value about ourselves. We also noted that though the idea of family values or a guiding morality can help us in decision
making, those values are not always set in stone. Ultimately we can’t know what will happen, but by simply living with our choices we are standing behind them.

Our viewing of the three videos really led us to analyze our main question, “how is art created?”

Someone mentioned that a common thread among all three videos was the lack of following structured rules and using mediums in innovative ways. For example, Dustin Yellin kept playing with layers and building materials to create. We almost all agreed that it was important for artists to know the rules/basics before they could break down structures.

We posed the question “what sparks creativity?” which received the following responses:

“Passion”

“Improvisation”

“It is an unanswerable question – some people need structure while others don’t need it at all.”

“Creativity is something we all possess and we need it in all professions e.g. we need creative bankers.”

Someone else mentioned how young children can be incredibly creative but over time seem to find it more difficult to express that creativity, which prompted someone else to flip the question, suggesting that since we are all creative in some way or another, the real question is “what blocks us from accessing that creativity?”

One person mentioned he had substituted for an art class, and he believed part of the solution was helping people discover and hone their inner talents. A few mentioned that they were currently taking art classes, and how they had to learn ground rules initially, but once they did improvisation became important. Even in a class where students were asked to all draw the same object, the drawings came out differently because we all see the world differently.

Someone mentioned that Shea Hembrey seemed playful in his video, almost like he was making a bit of a satire of the world of art while acknowledging he was a part of that world. Someone asked is satire of art was also considered art, and many affirmed it could be because art can be so many things.

We appreciated how the last video dealt with the relationship between art and social justice. Art can often help communities feel a sense of pride that translates into fixing a neighborhood up or taking better care of it over time. We asked if community painting should be considered art, and participants responded yes because art is open and free. Someone pointed out that even clutter in someone’s home could be considered art in the eye of the beholder.

We wrapped up by concluding that art stems from a balance between the “freedom and discipline,” and even the right and left parts of the brain.

Further Reading/Watching:

Note: Someone asked about Haas & Hahn's backgrounds. According to this article posted on The Telegraph, "Urhahn grew up in Amsterdam, the son of an urban planner and an artist; Koolhaas in Rotterdam, the son of a professor at the Delft University of Technology and an art historian. Urhahn went on to study Chinese language and culture at Leiden University but left after two years to work variously as a journalist, copy writer, art director and founder of a television production company. Koolhaas studied graphic design at the Design Academy Eindhoven and then worked as a freelance audio-visual designer and illustrator."

All the talks we watched mentioned the idea of inspiring students to take risks (rather than being so afraid to fail they wouldn’t try). Someone mentioned being a dance instructor, and how children ages 3-5 are brimming with creativity, but after that it becomes more difficult to get them to experiment because of their fear of failure. Someone else noted that as a society, we often feel pressure to conform to the majority for fear of being penalized for being different, and this can hamper our desire to try new things and possibly stand out.

One person likened Sir Ken Robinson’s talk on inspiring students to be creative to teaching the entrepreneurial spirit. Unfortunately, school systems often receive funding for “teaching to the test”, so the change would have to start from the top down of the education system. A mother mentioned one thing she has done to inspire creativity in her children is to never tell them “because I said so” as a response, and that we should encourage young people to ask why and inquire about things that interest them. Another participant said Winston Churchill’s advice to pursue at least a couple of hobbies could also help spark imagination and creativity among students.

One teach in the audience mentioned using Salman Khan’s video lessons as supplements in their classrooms. Another mentioned that the teachers at their school flipped some classrooms by creating their own lecture videos versus using the Khan Academy ones. One audience member noted that the flipped classroom assumes students having reliable access to the internet and an environment where they can focus on the material. By attempting to flip classrooms, we may put already at-risk students at more of a disadvantage.

Rita F. Pierson’s message of building a culture of feeling respected and loved was well-received by the audience. A teacher wholeheartedly agreed with Pierson’s advice to create a classroom of mutual respect because you want students to be on your team.

Aubrey de Grey’s “A Roadmap to End Aging”:
One participant called him “a visionary”, who only gave us a taste of his knowledge. Others felt while his and Cynthia Kenyon’s messages provided hope for the future and helped change the way they thought about aging, that there weren’t many concrete steps individuals could take away from the presentations. Someone did point out de Grey did have a next step and that was funding and expanding research into methods of extending a healthy lifespan. It was also noted that he was the only presenter to mention that extending human lifespan could have a huge impact on the environment, food supply, and even the birth rate which are understandable concerns.

Cynthia Kenyon, "Experiments that Hint of Longer Lives":
Cynthia Kenyon’s video felt a bit like a science lesson, but an interesting one nonetheless. Her research on the possibility of extending life through a drug might present one solution, but she was quick to admit that these drugs are currently used to help prevent recipients from rejecting organ transplants by suppressing the immune system. We noted that this in a way echoed de Grey’s concerns about overpopulation: fixing one issue often causes more.

Dan Buettner, "How to Live to Be 100+":
People enjoyed that Buettner’s video spoke about everyday life, and that both the way we live and how our mindset is can lead to longer lives. One person remarked that even if his ideas didn’t increase your life span, they could increase the quality of your life at any age. Someone pointed out that he stressed the importance of low-impact physical exertion incorporated into your daily routine over specific workout regimes. But as she noted, working out makes her happy and she’s been doing it for decades, so doing what you enjoy also increases your quality of life. We also talked about his mention that many people who do live to be 100+ often have plant-based diets, which a few people in the crowd mentioned adhering to themselves. Someone else mentioned the time-old wisdom, “Moderation! Everything in moderation.”

Quite a few participants voiced their approval of Monica Lewinsky’s message of empathy, especially when dealing with online interactions. Often people will post comments that they would never say to someone face-to-face, which can be hurtful. They felt like they understood how she could make a mistake at age 22 – mistakes at that age are a fact of life – and were made aware of just how devastating the effect of it was on her due to the magnification and spread of the information via the Internet. One participant felt that Ms. Lewinsky did a good job of reinventing herself, and another enjoyed her suggestion to be an "upstander." Another participant felt that it needed to be pointed out that there is a difference between social media and other technologies, such as Skype. Not all of either type of technology is bad, if used in positive ways. All seemed to agree that the negativity with regard to social media stems from its abuse by some, and that nothing is “all bad.”

The second talk sparked discussion about whether or not technology does nor does not promote intimacy. Some felt that the medium is not personal and does not promote “real” intimacy - e.g. it is hard to tell what a person is really feeling or thinking online or in a text. Others voiced the opinion that texting, social media, and Skype are all ways that we can connect and reconnect with others, thus fostering intimacy and relationships like never before.

The third talk was a little confusing to some in its presentation, but the message of the
permanency of our electronic lives got across to all. It sparked a good discussion of privacy and the protection of personal information and how even if you don’t go online, your information is out there. The provocative question was raised: Do kids these days even have a private life? It was generally agreed that to be a part of the online world, some privacy must be given up. And even if one does not participate, some information that was once “private” is now more accessible to all – and permanent.

Although one participant felt that the 3 talks veered towards the negative aspects of social
media, the group generally agreed that there was some balance and the discussion that followed highlighted both the positive and negative aspects of this new form of communication.